CBS Passes on How I Met Your Dad

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Disagreements between the network and producers on the show's direction led to the decision.

By Eric Goldman

Exit Theatre Mode

In a surprising move, CBS' new fall schedule will not include How I Met Your Dad. The spinoff of How I Met Your Mother (though it was a "format" spinoff, not one with any of the same characters) would have seemed a slam dunk, given How I Met Your Mother's huge success and a network not shy about franchising their hits. However, despite a report last week -- then refuted by CBS -- saying CBS was picking the show up, Chairman of CBS Entertainment, Nina Tassler, confirmed today it was not moving forward, at least with them.

Said Tassler, "To say we loved this show and these producers is an understatement," adding she was "heartsick" it didn't work out. Without getting into specifics, Tassler said there were elements of the pilot CBS were unhappy with and didn't feel worked and that they wanted to do a new version of the pilot - something the network has done in the past to great success, including The Big Bang Theory, which was delayed a year after the initial pilot was deemed to need an overhaul, which included replacing much of the cast. However, Tassler revealed How I Met Your Mother / How I Met Your Dad creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays didn't want to reshoot the pilot, putting them at an impasse with CBS.

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CBS did note that 20th Century Fox (who produce and own How I Met) and Thomas and Bays would be free to shop How I Met Your Dad elsewhere at this point, if they wished to. As successful as How I Met Your Mother was, it obviously ended with an extremely polarizing and dare I say controversial finale, which perhaps had all involved more on edge about the approach being taken with the spinoff. However, given how big HIMYM was over its nine-year run, it's hard not to think another outlet wouldn't at least be curious about the new series, if 20th and the producers decide they'd be inclined to look for another home for it.